


Lemon Ninja

by ParadiseAvenger



Series: Lemon Collections [6]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Dubious Consent, F/M, Lemons, Light Bondage, Sexual Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-12
Updated: 2014-02-23
Packaged: 2018-01-12 01:49:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1180478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParadiseAvenger/pseuds/ParadiseAvenger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anything you want or imagine... any fantasy you have... any desire that wakes you in the night, panting and sweaty... can be found in the Ninja of Lemons, but only for a price. A collection of one-shot citrus for SASUKE and SAKURA. Canon, fluff, AU. Requests welcome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stranger in the Rain

Based on the beautiful doujinshi “Stranger” that I stumbled across on YouTube of all places. Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWayKhXwjTg

And yet also inspired by Taylor Swift’s song, “Come In With the Rain.”

 **Summary:** She was beautiful and she was asleep. The window was open and he had been waiting. (some dubious consent)

X X X

It was a dark night—moonless, starless, the black void of the sky obscured by dense rain-heavy clouds—but it had been a dark day as well. The outer edge of the city was in shambles. Orochimaru had attacked Konoha in some sort of desperate last-ditch effort, though no one was certain what drove him to this. He had arrived with nearly the entire ninja population of Sound around noon, interrupting lunch all throughout the city.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sai had been training together, working on their teamwork as a vain ploy to disguise the fact that they hadn’t heard of Uchiha Sasuke in nearly two months. It was beginning to look as if he was either dead or had been taken as Orochimaru’s next vessel. Either way really, he was as good as dead. When Orochimaru struck, Sakura couldn’t express in words how happy she was to see that pasty white face drawn tight with the end of his life. At least Sasuke wasn’t Orochimaru’s container.

Despite the fact that Orochimaru’s current body was slowly dying, the battle went on for hours. Sakura found herself separated from Naruto who had gone to fight the snake directly. She held back with Sai, keeping the bulk of Orochimaru’s minions from breaking through Konoha’s gates. When Kakashi arrived, he checked on his team long enough to learn that they were alright before joining Naruto against Orochimaru. 

Sakura would never know what exactly happened after that since she was on the ground while Naruto and Kakashi were high above her, fighting atop Orochimaru’s giant snakes. She knew only that there had been a shout of warning and she had looked up in time to see first Kakashi and then Naruto being blown away. Leaving Sai to hold the gate, Rock Lee taking her place at his side, she rushed to her comrades and fell in beside Tsunade. She pressed her hands over the gaping wound in Naruto’s chest, pushing back the Nine Tails with her presence and healing him.

The shadow of the great snake fell across Sakura then and Naruto gripped her arm in a bloody and slack grasp, his mouth opening in horror as he tried to push her aside. Sakura would not leave him, not for the world. She pressed the wound solidly, pouring her chakra into it, and then she whirled to face the giant snake at the last second. Its mouth roared open, all sharp teeth and hissing tongue. She raised her fist, enough strength to destroy the world going into it. She struck the snake, blasting it far back, and waited for it to return.

But the snake never returned. Just outside the gates of Konoha, she heard the crash of its large body breaking through trees and then the hiss of its death. The battle went still and silent, heavy, and Sakura could nearly taste the uncertainty of what had happened. Someone had killed Orochimaru at the height of the battle, though no one had seen exactly who. Soon after that, the remaining Sound ninjas scattered like cockroaches when the light comes on. 

A great cry of victory went up, but Sakura didn’t join them. She turned back to Naruto, pressing her hands over the wound in his chest, pouring all her concentration into healing him. He closed his fingers around her wrist, his touch warm and light if not bloody, holding her close. She smiled softly.

Tsunade and Rock Lee came up behind Sakura as she worked, but she did not turn to look at them.

“Does anyone know what happened?” Sakura asked without removing her eyes from Naruto. The wound stitched beneath her hands, closing easier than any other injury with the addition of the Nine Tails inside him.

“No, Sakura-san,” Lee said, breathing hard through his nose. 

Tsunade shifted, laying her hands over Lee’s shoulders and letting her healing chakra slide into him. “Kakashi caught a Sound ninja by the back of his jacket and looked at him fiercely,” she began with an eye roll that suggested Kakashi had probably looked at him more-than-fiercely with the Sharingan. “Apparently, Orochimaru was under the impression that Sasuke had returned here and came to claim him before his body expired.”

Without speaking, Sakura pulled back her chakra from Naruto and helped her friend sit up.

“Eh,” Naruto said, his face expressing emotions that Sakura would never voice. “He thought teme was here?”

Tsunade nodded and Sakura felt her sensei’s eyes burning into her back.

Sakura straightened up and then pulled Naruto to his feet. “I wonder who told him that,” she said finally because the silence weighed heavy on her back. “Sasuke hasn’t been here for years and we haven’t even heard news of him in months.”

“Who knows?” Tsunade rolled her shoulders and adjusted the deep v-neck of her shirt, tucking her large breasts back into a safety zone. “Sakura, I could use your help. It’s been a long battle and the Sound ninjas are no pushovers. A lot of people are hurt.”

Sakura nodded, made sure Naruto could stand on his own, gave Lee’s hand a soft squeeze, and followed swiftly after her sensei. She stopped only to demand that Kakashi stop dangling a younger Sound ninja by his ankles, obviously threatening him. On the horizon, night was falling swiftly in a sunset that was washed with the colors of blood.

…

Konoha was quiet and still in the darkness, obviously exhausted. Some power lines had been knocked out, shadowing the streets thick moonless black, but Sakura walked on without halting. She had lived here her entire life after all. She arrived at her small apartment building, trudged up the stairs, and let herself inside. Her apartment was dark, but she found that her power was still intact. She stripped off her soiled clothes, blood and sweat and grime covering most of them, and promised herself she’d do laundry tomorrow. Naked, she went to her bathroom and stood under the shower as more of a courtesy than an actual desire to be clean. 

She was so tired… all she wanted to do was sleep…

In a waft of steam, she emerged from the bathroom and took some clean clothes out of her bureau. She didn’t own a pair of pajamas, but in light of Orochimaru’s recent attack, she didn’t think tonight was a good night to sleep in her panties. Pulling on a light tank top and a pair of comfortable shorts, she moved to the window and pushed it open. The cool night air rushed in, kissing her damp skin and making her shiver. She took a light red blanket from the foot of her bed, wrapped it around her shoulders, and used what little remaining strength she had to push her bed against the window. 

She knew it was slightly foolish to sleep so exposed, but Konoha felt unspeakably safe tonight. Orochimaru was vanquished, his Sound ninjas had scattered, and hopefully somewhere—somewhere—Sasuke was still alive. Besides, the refreshing night breeze felt wonderful and the smell of rain was heavy in the clouds. Sakura had always loved the smell of rain. Tonight, it smelled fresh and fertile, as if flowers could be grown in it, as if something that crazy was actually possible.

Sakura lay down, her mattress cushioning her like a pair of warm arms. She didn’t let herself imagine whose arms they might have been and instead focused on the smell of the rain. Soon, exhausted from the long battle and longer night at the hospital, she fell into a deep and fitful sleep.

…

_From his perch atop the telephone pole, Konoha was still and dark in the moonless night. Thunder rumbled faintly in the distance, but there was not yet any lightning. That suited him fine. He preferred the inky blackness that allowed him to lose himself within it._

_It had taken him a fair while to find her apartment. It wasn’t as if he could just ask for directions. No, he had to search for her within the village, being careful not to be seen. He had watched her walk home from the hospital, her heart light from saving lives and content with the knowledge that Orochimaru was dead. At least, he assumed her heart was light from that—his certainly was._

_He watched from his perch as she came home and stripped off her clothes just inside her front door. She moved through her apartment, blissfully unaware and stunningly naked, and ducked into the bathroom. When she emerged, she was sadly covering herself with a towel, but he could see the faint dewdrops of water sliding over her skin._

_She dressed, though barely, and then moved to the window. For a moment, he feared that she had spotted him, even amidst the darkness, even though all but his skin blended in with the night. But she did not or if she did, she was hiding it with great success. She had never been that smart though, not when it came to him. If she had seen him, she would have said something, tried something, cried…_

_He watched as she absorbed the feeling of the night and inhaled the scent of the rain. When she moved her bed towards the window and lay down beneath a tangle of red blankets, it was as good as an invitation. She was foolish to do this—to sleep with the window open and her bed so visible—but he supposed that Konoha had always felt safe for her._

_He waited for her to fall asleep as patient as a viper waiting to strike. As he did so, he took a strip of dark cloth and a long length of rope from the pouch at his hip. Konoha’s greatest young kunoichi… he would have her, even if she would no longer have him._

_He leaped down from his perch atop the telephone pole soon after she had sleepily rolled onto her side and gone very still. Very few ninjas tossed and turned in their sleep—one exception could be the dead-last ninja of Konoha. For one such as him, it was an easy matter to land in her open window._

_Crouched there, he studied her as she slept deeply. Her hair was the same as he remembered, pale cherry-blossom pink though she had kept it short. It fell around her face in stunning wisps and tendrils. Her lips were pink, slightly parted, her breath soft. Her lashes were dark and thick, lying against her cheeks like twin fans. Her eyes were closed so he could not take in the shade of perfect emerald, but he knew it was there. In fact, she had complimented her eyes by painting her nails a shade that matched them._

_The only thing that had changed greatly was her body. Her legs were long and shapely, her hips curved, and her ribcage was narrow. Her breasts had grown, her nipples showing faintly through the pale material of her tank top. He had watched her in battle, taking in the brute strength she now possessed, but it was hard to believe such strength could flow from such a delicate and lovely body. She had blossomed into a beautiful woman, so beautiful that he licked his lips at the thought of what was to come._

_He stepped carefully down from the window and closed it, just in case she decided to shout or struggle. He didn’t want her voice to carry and attract unwanted attention in the still night. Certainly other ninjas were not sleeping as deeply as she was in light of Orochimaru’s invasion. Konoha was safe, but people were still cautious—more cautious than her._

_There was a naked kunai lying on her nightstand. Just to be safe, he put it away in his pouch with the others he carried._

_He wet his lips and took the strip of dark cloth from his pouch again. It was an easy matter to slide it over her eyes, but it was not so easy to tie it without catching her hair and pulling it painfully. Finished, he maneuvered her wrists together and bound them securely. For a moment, he studied the long shape of her bare legs in the dimness and considered binding her ankles, but it would make what he had planned only harder._

_Then, content that she was properly restrained, he let himself enjoy the sight before him. He leaned over her, inhaling the sweet scent of her soap and skin. She smelled wonderful and there was heat coming off her bare skin. He wondered if she would taste as good as she smelled._

_But, before even that, in a moment of rare attachment, he found his hand gently cupping her face. Her skin was warm and her hair was soft beneath his fingers. He wondered if the gloves he wore were harsh on her smooth skin. He bent closer, his lips lightly brushing the shell of her ear, inhaling deeply. She smelled of cherry blossoms, but that shouldn’t have surprised him._

_Softly, he whispered, “Sakura…”_

_The reaction was immediate, his dangerous voice jolting her from such a deep sleep. For a moment, he almost felt bad to wake her. She tensed in his arms, her body rocking up from the mattress only to meet the hard wall of his chest, and she jerked hard against the ropes that bound her wrists. He could practically see her mind going through a checklist of her surroundings and knowledge. He trailed his fingers down her throat, prying a shiver from her body._

…

A cold voice cut through her dreams. “Sakura…”

Sakura’s eyes opened to darkness and she immediately knew something was wrong. She had fallen asleep before she had remembered to turn off the hallway light so there should have been at least a little bit of light with which to see by, but there was none. There was only thick all-encompassing darkness. She blinked, feeling her lashes brush against some kind of cloth. Blindfold, she realized, and tried to relax enough to think.

She tried to move, but something—no, someone—was holding her down against her bed. She squirmed experimentally, lifting her elbows and knees. There was weight across her legs, keeping her from moving them, and she quickly tried to pull her arms down. Her wrists were bound and her superhuman strength did nothing to break them. They were infused with chakra. Whoever was in her apartment was a ninja and a very dangerous one at that.

She writhed, her back arching from the mattress, and she felt the hard warm plane of a chest against her own nearly-naked skin. She felt it breathe, felt the pulse of its heart, felt the hard planes of mesh armor beneath the thin shirt fabric, but that told her nearly nothing. She knew it was a man, just by the voice and body. It must be one of Orochimaru’s ninjas, one of the Sound who hadn’t been gathered by the jounin and ANBU after the attack. 

How had he found her? Why would he come only for her? 

Her heart skipped a beat.

Lightly, his warm fingertips trailed down her exposed throat and she shivered in revulsion. She had never been touched like this before and she had never suspected that she would be bound and violated in her own apartment. She had never expected that her first time would be like this. 

“Who’s there?” she demanded and was pleased to find that her voice was stronger than she felt inside.

He didn’t answer, but the mattress sank a little as he leaned down over her. His breath was normal, scented with neither alcohol nor stinking with anything. His body had felt slender and surely a heavier man would be sinking the mattress more or else crushing her. His fingers stilled just above the swell of her breast, feeling her thundering heartbeat, not yet touching her intimately.

“What do you want with me?” Sakura asked because she could think of no reason for any of the Sound ninjas to personally want to violate her. She was a healer and had healed even a few of them. She was the Hokage’s apprentice, but she didn’t know any classified information. She was well-known as an ex-teammate of Uchiha Sasuke’s. Was that it? Did they think she knew where he was? But even if she did, Orochimaru was already dead. What could be gained by hurting her?

Before she could think of any other reason, the man spoke, “There’s only one thing I want tonight.”

She grit her teeth and the muscles of her thighs squeezed tight. “Who are you?” she demanded, turning her head against the blindfold, but it was bound securely. 

To her surprise, he breathed out softly and then murmured, “I can’t answer that myself.”

A chill ran through her.

“I don’t really know who I am anymore,” he continued and his fingers slid back up her chest to fold over her throat lightly. “All I know is the person I am now wants you.”

Her throat flashed as she swallowed nervously and she could feel him smirk down at her, amused by her fear. Sick bastard, she thought to herself. What would a man like this do to her? She forced back the encroaching terror and held onto her inner strength with both hands. “Let me go!” she shouted at him, lashing out sharply with her knees. “You’ll pay dearly if you don’t let me go right now!”

He chuckled softly and used one hand to force her knees back to the bed. “I like it when you act all feisty,” he murmured and his hot breath ghosted against her ear. “Sakura.”

Too strong, she realized with a jolt, her legs straining to break free of his hold. He was too strong for her to fight like this. She was completely at his mercy, but she couldn’t die yet. She would have to do whatever it took to get out of this alive. Naruto still needed her, her training with Tsunade was still incomplete, she still had to bring Sasuke home. She couldn’t die now.

His breath was still hot against her ear, but he had stopped speaking. He seemed to be waiting, waiting to see what she would do. Again, she tried to break her legs free of his grasp. If she could get loose, one solid kick should keep him off long enough for her to run. But he kept her restrained with one hand and it was clearly easy for him to do so. He was so strong, stronger than she was. Instead, she forced herself to relax beneath him, trying to give in. Maybe, if she did, she would survive.

He breathed out softly and the painful grip on her knees subsided. Then, something hot and wet traced lightly along the shell of her ear. Blindfolded as she was, it only proved to increase her sensitivity. She yelped, jerking her head aside and away from him, but she felt his smirk like something tangible on her body. 

“Don’t,” she gasped out, but he continued as if he hadn’t heard her voice.

With tenderness she didn’t think a rapist could possess, he began to feather kisses all over the skin that he could reach without releasing her knees or wrists completely. His lips were soft, tracing a path from her ear to her forehead and down her cheek. He inhaled deeply occasionally as if savoring this moment and it made her skin crawl even as her cheeks flushed with blood. Blushing, she squirmed as he kissed the light scratch on her cheek with unbelievable care. 

When he settled against her throat, she nearly cried out in unexpected pleasure. Her skin was so sensitive and every fiber of her body was focused on him. It was unspeakable for her to expose her most vulnerable body part—her throat—to someone like this. But even as she thought to pull her chin down and hide her jugular, she was already giving in to the sensations. His tongue traced wet and hot along the beating vein in her neck, lightly kissing where it met beneath her jaw. 

“Please,” she whispered. “Please, stop… Why are you doing this?”

He didn’t answer, but instead traced his tongue down the length of her neck to nip lightly at her collarbone. It didn’t hurt, but it sent a little thrill of unexpected shock through her body. Her breath escaped in a rush and her body quivered beneath him as he pressed countless soothing kisses over the affected area. The fingers of one hand tangled loosely in her pale hair, smoothing it gently. Again, he breathed her in and then placed kisses all along her injured cheek.

“Please, I… I don’t want this,” she whispered. She wasn’t sure why she chose to say that. It wasn’t as if rapists cared what their victims wanted. In fact, she was fairly certain that forcing her was the entire point of this. She trembled, her heart pounding. “Please…”

Yet surprisingly, his kisses slowed. He let his lips linger on her forehead and then his mouth slid down to her ear again. She shuddered as his warm breath moved over her skin, his lips brushing the shell of her ear as he spoke. “Are you sure about that?” he whispered.

She didn’t answer immediately, distracted by the light touch of his fingers running down her back. Her tank top had ridden up and he was freely touching her bare skin, trailing his fingers lightly over the quivering skin of her belly. As if taking her silence as an answer, he resumed kissing her just as he had before. 

His lips were on her throat again when she finally whispered, “Why are you here? Why me?”

He stilled, his breath coming lightly over her moist skin. “Because you belong to me. I’ve come to claim what’s mine.”

Sakura’s heart froze in her chest, turning to stone. What? What?

He kissed her throat again, mapping a light path up her jugular with his tongue, as if to prove she belonged to him only because he was being gentle with her life. Well, Haruno Sakura belonged to no man and she wasn’t about to give in this easily. He might take her, but he would know that she would never belong to the man who raped her.

…

_“Well, you’re too late,” she snapped at him. Her voice was as hard and cold as winter._

_He froze, his kiss just at the edge of her jaw when she had spoken. She had obviously chosen to wait until his dangerous mouth was no longer on her vulnerable throat and now she dipped her chin down to protect that area as best she could._

_What did she mean by that?_

_How could he be too late?_

_Quickly, he ran through what he had seen of her that day. He had been watching her fight, watching her heal, watching her smile in the afterglow of victory. He remembered seeing her guarding the gate with a pale artist, pressed shoulder to shoulder. He remembered how she spoke to her silver-haired teacher, waving him away to fight on with a smile and threatening him off later. He remembered the way she had held the dead-last ninja in her arms as she healed him. He remembered seeing her take the hand of another ninja with a bad haircut, squeezing it and smiling at him. Ninjas did not often express emotions in the field of battle. Any of those gestures could have been as intimate as a kiss._

_“I belong to someone else,” she continued. Even though he had bound her, her presence seemed to explode off the bed. Her confidence filled the room, stony and strong, but there was still a flush on her cheeks._

_More as a hope than a true statement, he shouted at her, “You’re lying!”_

_She flinched, but did not otherwise back down. “I’m not,” she murmured even as his hands dug painfully into the soft skin of her arms. “I love him… with all my heart.”_

_His gloves were armored and he knew the plates were biting into her skin. He knew bruises would bloom on her the next day like black roses. He stared down at her, at the blindfold that marred her true expression. Her lips were pressed close and her pulse was beating hard in her throat. She was afraid, still afraid, but her words…_

_He wrapped his fingers around her neck, letting her feel the strength in his hands. Should he strangle her? Rip the life right out of her? He wanted her to know how easy it would be for him to kill her. She trembled beneath him, every fiber of her body quivering with the fear that he would do so. He wanted to her know that loving someone else—loving someone other than him—was a crime so great that she deserved to die for it._

_Her tongue snaked out, wetting her soft pink lips, drawing his attention to her mouth. For a moment, it felt just as easy to kill her as it would be to lean down and kiss her. For a moment, he almost did and in that instant, the calm returned to him. No, he wouldn’t kill her. What purpose would killing her serve? That was not why he had come here._

_As his hands moved from her neck, he felt her body soften with relief. She seemed to realize that she had gone too far with him and fell silent beneath his strong body. But she was still blindfolded and could not see him, could not see into his eyes or into his heart. She did not know what he intended._

…

Sakura only felt him move, felt his hands slide through her hair, felt the heat of his body against her bare skin. When she felt his breath on her lips, for a moment, she feared he was coming to bite her. She flinched away, a little whimper escaping her lips.

But he did not bite her. He did nothing to cause her pain. In fact, his lips folded over hers in a kiss so gentle that it was hard not to accept it. She felt herself begin to melt, dissolving into the kiss. She relaxed beneath him, her clenched fists even opening slightly. Then, his hot tongue traced the seam of her lips and she pulled away as slightly as she dared.

“Please,” she whispered. “No more.”

He stilled, the kiss breaking as easily as glass. “Why?” he demanded and there was a dangerous hiss in his voice that made her blood run cold. “Why do you have to belong to someone else?”

Suddenly, she felt as if her life depended on what she said next. Her heart pounded raggedly, but no words would come.

Instead, he dipped down against her. His hair tickled her bare skin as he rested his head against her clothed breasts, listening to the fearful rataplan of her heart. “Tell me,” he continued in a voice that was sharp as a dagger. “Does he… touch you like I do?”

Before the words had even left his lips, his hand closed softly over her breast through her shirt. The fabric was a welcome barrier, but it did nothing to stop the feeling of his warm hands on her untouched skin. It did nothing to quell the feeling of his thumb rasping lightly over her nipple, raising it into a little peak. She whimpered softly, biting back the sound of pleasure that desperately wanted to escape and be heard by this man who would claim her.

His hand was still folded neatly over her breast when he spoke again, “Does he… kiss you like I do?”

She gasped, shock filling her lungs, and thought to turn her face away, but he was already folding his mouth over hers. The kiss was deeper and harder this time, but no less tender. She found herself opening to him despite everything. His tongue dipped into her mouth with all the caution of someone who expected to be bitten at any moment, but she was unable to think about causing him that kind of pain. Why? Why couldn’t she hurt him? He was going to rape her and yet…

The kiss was so sweet and yet so passionate. She melted into him, her tongue lifting to tangle with his. He welcomed her reaction without speaking, matching her touch for touch. His thumb ghosted over her nipple again, making her shiver in pleasure and surprise. His fingertips were soft on her flesh, no longer pressing with the armor of his gloves. Gently, tenderly, softly, he continued to kiss her for the longest time until every rational thought was gone from her mind. 

Then, he went still. He paused, waiting, waiting. 

She realized he was waiting for her to answer his questions. 

Maybe it was the distant rumble of thunder or the exhausting events of the day… Maybe it was the soft touch of his hands or the way his mouth had folded so perfectly over hers… Sakura would never know what drove her to speak to her violator, but she did. “No,” she whispered, feeling the heat of shame burn in her throat and cheeks. “We’ve never… done anything like this. Though I love him so much, he… will never love me in return.”

His nose brushed hers, his face so close, as he asked, “Then, why say you belong to him?” He didn’t give her time to answer though and continued, “I could give you so much more.”

For a moment, Sakura’s heart and mind tumbled into a conflict. Why would this rapist care about another man in her life? Why would he care who she belonged to? Why would he care to offer her more or be so gentle? Did he think himself a misunderstood lover come to call? She opened her mouth to snap at him, to once again demand he leave her be, but he once more claimed her lips in a searing kiss that she couldn’t break from.

Every fiber of her sensible mind screamed for her to pull away. He was beginning to relax around her. Even his grip on her legs and wrists had loosened completely. Instead, his fingers were tangled in her hair or brushing along her shoulders tenderly. But though her mind still fought, Sakura’s body had given in. She melted beneath him, her breath coming in short little pants. It felt so good…

“I’ve been waiting for this,” he whispered, “for a long time.”

She swallowed nervously, but still couldn’t find the will to fight him off. “I’ve never been kissed like that before,” she heard her mouth say. “I’ve never… been kissed at all.”

His nose brushed lightly along her cheek and his fingers caressed the line of her collarbone. She tried not to think how the breath rushed from his chest in relief as she said that. His voice betrayed nothing when he repeated, “Never?”

Her lips continued as if loosened by his kiss, all her secrets rushing out to the ears of a man who would rape her. “It’s not that I didn’t want to… It’s just… he never…” Her cheeks burned. What was she thinking? What was she doing? He was here to rape her and she wanted his sympathy for another man who had never even kissed her. Why would he care? Why would he ever—?

“Shh,” he murmured and kissed her lips gently. He deepened it, his tongue sliding into her mouth deeply. “I can make up for all the times you haven’t been kissed. I will give you a year’s worth of kisses right now, Sakura.”

Again, he fell into kissing her. His lips worshiped her skin, licking and kissing everything he could reach. Each time he did so, a little moan of pleasure escaped her lips. She didn’t want to enjoy the feeling of his lips and tongue, but she was far gone. It felt amazing.

“This isn’t right…” Sakura whispered, a final effort to protest slipping from her mind to her lips. 

…

_Even as she spoke, he knew the words no longer meant anything to her. He kissed a path from her lips to her throat, feeling her skin tremble beneath his touches. His fingers slid beneath the edge of her tank top, cupping her breasts with nothing between them. She gasped, a little delicious moan sliding from her parted lips._

_He smirked, lowering his head to kiss her breasts through the fabric of her shirt. She whimpered and moaned, writhing against his touch. Her nipples were hard and her heartbeat was fast beneath the cage of her ribs. His tongue moistened the cloth, rasping softly over the hard little nubs, shattering her with friction._

_Since her hands were bound, he wouldn’t be able to pull the shirt over her head. Instead, he took a kunai from his pouch, intending to cut away the offending material so he could touch her uninhibited. She had been so pliant and warm beneath him that he had nearly forgotten she was with him against her will. From the quick sound of shock she made, she had apparently forgotten also._

_But the kunai was cold and sharp against her flesh and her fear returned._

_“Don’t hurt me,” she whispered._

_He didn’t answer to tell her that he wouldn’t. He didn’t think she would believe him if he did. Instead, he merely redoubled his caution with the blade as he neatly cut her shirt from her body. Naked from the waist up, she lay beneath him, shivering softly. He leaned back from her, giving her a moment to breathe as he put away the knife. Her breasts heaved as she panted for breath, nervousness making her shiver attractively against the red blanket she had wrapped herself in earlier._

_His hands closed softly over her small breasts, kneading the flesh lightly. She moaned, her breath coming out in a harsh little gasp as his mouth closed over one nipple. Her cheeks were flushed deeply, her lips parted to let little sounds of pleasure escape, and she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen._

_Since she seemed to respond to his gentleness above all else and he had just frightened her with the kunai against her skin, he saw fit to reassure her by feathering tender kisses all over her exposed chest. Soon, she had melted into his touches again, wantonly giving herself over to the feelings. He kissed the valley between her breasts, breathing in the scent of her skin._

_When he began to let his kisses move lower, she didn’t try to stop him. Even when he released her wrists completely and let his hands rest on her sides, she did not resume struggling. She had given herself over to him, to the feelings, to his kisses. It was almost sad how easy it had been to woo her. Whatever man she said she loved deserved to have her stolen from him. She was too good, too beautiful, too lonely, to give her heart to a man like that._

_“Do you like it?” he whispered._

_He wasn’t sure what made her answer, but she gasped softly, “Yes.”_

_He smirked, his cheek resting on the smooth skin just above the waistband of her shorts. He kissed the soft skin there and she shivered in pleasure, her thighs quivering against the side of his chest. He dipped his fingers into the waist, unfastened the button, lowered the zipper, and smoothly tugged down both her shorts and panties. Once he had done so, he felt her hesitate. A ripple of fear ran through her body, goose bumps following in the wake, and he leaned up to kiss her again. His kiss was something she couldn’t resist and she soon melted into him again._

_Her bound wrists were between them, covering her breasts, but she didn’t resist when he pulled them lightly above her head. At the peak, she struggled slightly as if fearing she would be restrained again so he instead dipped his head to duck under her wrists. Her arms squeezed tight around his neck, pulling him close, seeking out his mouth blindly to kiss him again. He did not deny her, pressing the kiss deep enough to reach her heart and soul._

_His hands folded over her breasts, lavishing attention on the sensitive sides with just the tips of his fingers until she was trembling in his arms. He pressed the flat of his palm to her stomach, lingering as he felt her body tremble beneath him. His armored gloves were hard on her skin and he knew he would leave bruises if he touched her too hard. Now, he paused and tugged them off, shoving them into his pouch with his kunai. She clung to his kiss with something akin to desperation._

…

Sakura tried to keep her mind on his kiss. It was the only thing that hadn’t changed—not yet anyway. She was completely naked and she knew he had at least one kunai. What would he do to her now? Would his gentleness crumble when he finally raped her? Would he kill her when he was through? She didn’t want to find out. She didn’t want what she was feeling right now to end. His kisses were as powerful as lightning and just as jaggedly beautiful. 

She squeezed her arms tighter around his neck, dragging him deeper into the kiss, hoping to stall what she knew was coming for even a moment. His hands ran down her sides, thumbs brushing over her skin smoothly, but she could feel his calluses. These were the hands of someone who had fought many battles and was unafraid to kill. If he sensed her fear, he didn’t show it save to deepen the kiss she so desperately wanted. 

Then, the kiss broke slightly and her lips were still parted when he spoke, “Do you want me to touch you?”

A little jolt went through her body and something warm settled between her legs. He was still being kind to her, even if she knew he would touch her whether she wanted it or not. His hands were still gentle as they cupped her behind lightly. 

“Yes,” she whispered though she couldn’t be sure that it was really the truth. Yes, she wanted to be touched, but not by a rapist. She wanted to be touched by the gentle illusion that this man had created. So long as he continued to kiss her like this, she could continue to think that she might come away from this not only alive, but she might even enjoy it.

“Do you really want me to touch you?” he asked again, a note of teasing in his voice.

She tried not to think why he would tease her now of all times. Was it a prelude to cruelty? But his hands were still soft, sliding lower and lower. He held the backs of her thighs, his fingertips sliding between without truly touching her core. “Yes,” she whispered again though her voice was a little more certain. 

Her lips parted beneath his kiss as easily as a flower opening and then he was holding her very center. She shivered, but he didn’t remark about how wet she was. He didn’t say anything cruel at all. Instead, his fingers slid easily into her body and she threw her head back in bliss. He kissed her exposed throat and she cried out softly, the powerful sensations overwhelming her. Unable to see because of the blindfold, her entire body was focused on touch alone. She crumpled, dissolving into his arms as he stroked her. 

He slid another finger into her and she moaned without restraint. His touch was expert, perfect to her virgin body, and she was soon nothing but quivering skin and soft needy sounds. She clung to his shoulders, her nails pressing into the armor of his shirt as she came undone. 

“Ah, Sa—” she gasped.

His lips pressed up under her chin, feathering soft kisses, as he added a third finger inside her. He teased her, his thumb resting over her pearl, his long fingers pressing deeper and deeper. She began to meet him, her knees weak with the feeling of being touched. Her voice was like the chirping of a bird after a storm, breaking through the darkness. Then, she was over the edge, falling with no hope to fly. Her body seized in his arms, muscles quivering with pleasure and desire, as her orgasm rocked her.

“Ah, she cried out, “Sasuke!”

She realized what she had done the moment he removed his fingers from within her. It was so quick that she felt the loss of him inside her like a gaping wound. Horror filled her heart, stealing away her breath and chilling her to the bone. Oh god, what would he do to her now?

…

_When he heard that name on her lips, everything stopped. He couldn’t help but pull away from her sharply even if he couldn’t get far because her bound wrists were still looped behind his head. He stared at her, trying to read the expression on her face, but he could see only fear. She began to shiver, all traces of her earlier pleasure leaving like leaves scattered on a breeze._

_“Oh god,” she whispered. “Please, I—I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said his name. I’m sorry!”_

_He stared at her, stricken. “His name?” he repeated. “This Sasuke is the one who holds your heart?”_

_Her nod was more of an involuntary jerk. “Please, I’m sorry,” she continued. “Don’t hurt me!” Tears began to slip beneath her blindfold, rolling down her cheeks and dripping warm onto her breasts. “I didn’t mean to—”_

_“Sasuke is the one who doesn’t love you back? He’s the one you love so much?”_

_She tugged desperately, trying to free her bound wrists from where they were wrapped behind his head. “Please, I didn’t mean to say his name! Don’t hurt me! I’m sorry!” Her voice rose to a terrified shout, tears streaming unchecked down her face._

_Quickly, he pulled her hands from over his head and released her. She fell back against the headboard of her bed, naked and shivering, still bruised and scraped from her fight with Orochimaru’s men earlier, weeping into her bound hands. It was a horrible sight and he just stared at her in silence. This girl… he didn’t even know what to think. His mind was empty save for the shock of hearing her say that name before all others._

_“I’m sorry,” she was still saying. “Don’t hurt me. I’m sorry.”_

…

When Sakura felt him move on the bed, terror gripped her. This was it—the end of her life. He would kill her now, she was certain of it. She could already feel his hands closing around her throat, feel his teeth sharp on her lips, feel the press of something foreign ripping into her as punishment. 

But none of those things came to pass. 

Instead, he gently pulled her to him, holding her against his chest. He murmured, “You don’t have to be afraid. It’s alright, Sakura…”

She sniffled, trying not to relax into such a gentle touch even though she desperately wanted to. “I’m sorry,” she whispered again.

Then, he was kissing her with just as much tenderness, maybe more. His lips were sweet and soft, encouraging hers to open and allow him inside. After only a moment of fearful hesitation, she did so, falling into the gentleness of her strange intruder. 

“I don’t understand,” she whispered when he broke away. “Why are you being so nice? Aren’t you… angry…?”

He was holding her elbows lightly, keeping her naked body close as if he thought she would try to run now of all times. Without speaking, he pressed a light kiss to her forehead and then she felt him hesitate, his fingers tensing against her skin. He made a soft sound in the silence. 

Then, she heard him inhale deeply and he lifted one hand from her arm. His fingers stroked lightly through her soft hair and then began to loosen the knot on her blindfold. She tried not to think that he would certainly kill her after she saw his face. Gently, he tugged the strip of fabric free and she kept her eyes closed for a moment. He cupped her chin softly, lifting it slightly to encourage her to look at him. She couldn’t resist anymore and her green eyes slid open slowly.

For a moment, she blinked in the dim light. Her eyes were unfocused with tears, but he brushed them away lightly with his thumb and then everything came into startling clarity. She could only stare at him, her heart frozen in her chest. 

He looked much like she remembered, if only a little older. He was wearing all black, blending in with the moonless night, and yet his skin was as pale as cream. His hair was like spilled ink, sticking up in the back as it always had and casting an odd shadow on the wall. His eyes were what she had missed most of all. Those deep dark eyes… and for the very first time, he was looking right at her and right into her heart. His lips were soft from kissing her and curved into something that was almost a smile.

Because she looked completely unable to speak, he said softly, “I am Sasuke.”

Fresh tears welled in her eyes, gathering on her lashes like jewels. “S-Sasuke,” she whispered. Then, in a movement so fast it was clear what a strong ninja she was, she threw her bound arms around his neck and squeezed him tight to her nakedness. “This can’t be real,” she sobbed into his shirt. “This is just a dream… Why would you come back and touch me like this? You always—”

She didn’t finish speaking and instead crashed her lips to his as if she would never kiss him again. His hands pressed to her back, pulling her close, letting her feel the hard press of his body. She was still crying, her kiss deep and hard until she pulled away to look at him again.

He was still there, lying beneath her where she had toppled him over on the bed with the force of her body. She stared at him, holding his eyes, her lips curved into a strong smile. He sat up, forcing her to move back or else kiss him again. 

“This can’t be real,” she repeated. “This is just a dream, isn’t it? For you to come back and touch me like I’ve always wanted… This isn’t real.”

She was surprised when he pushed her back. She nearly threw her arms around him again, to hold onto him for as long as the dream allowed, but his movements stayed her. He was pulling off his shirt, laying it aside with the clothes he had already removed from her body. His skin was nearly-white in the darkness, lined with the palest scars and some shadowed bruises. She could only stare at him, drinking in the details, as he reached for her. He took her bound hands and pressed them to his bare skin. He was so warm. Her fingers curled against him.

She met his eyes, hardly daring to believe it.

“Feel me, Sakura,” he whispered. “I’m real.”

She smiled, a true smile that took over her entire face. Her emerald green eyes lit up from the inside and he felt the desire to tear the blindfold he had brought to pieces for hiding them from him, even if he had only himself to blame. She leaned in and kissed him. His arms wrapped around her naked back, pulling her close so they were pressed chest to chest. She shuddered as their bare skin touched, every inch of skin like an individual firework igniting. 

She moaned softly, “It’s really you.”

In answer, he kissed her deeply as if making up for lost time.

When he pulled away just enough to let her breathe, she looked up into his face, absorbing the play of the hallway light and the moonless night on his skin. He had never looked so sexy. She wrapped her bare legs around his hips, pulling him flush against her, and then she smiled up at him cutely. “Sasuke, could you… untie me?”

He leaned close, grinding against her, and asked, “Why? I like being in control.”

The expression on her face spoke volumes of what he had just put her through. She had thought she was going to be raped and killed, only to find out that it was the love of her life too frightened of her rejection to reveal himself. It had been cruel of him. 

“Alright,” he relented.

She smiled delightedly as he took the kunai from his pouch again and moved to cut the ropes. There was no fear in her face now, only trust and desire. The ropes fell away and she smiled at him, but her eyes glinted mischievously. He swallowed, suddenly nervous and thinking about the strength he had seen while she fought earlier that day, but she only pressed her fingertip to his chest. Without using her superhuman strength, she pushed him down against the mattress and straddled him. He could feel the heat of her body through his pants and flushed lightly.

She smiled, leaning down to kiss him again. “My turn,” she said softly.

He let himself be kissed by her, let her own every inch of his body and skin. She wasn’t out to hurt him, not even to startle him. Her kiss was only love, her hands were only desire, and her body was only his. He held her close, feeling the brush of her breasts against his bare chest as she moved against him. Her hips ground down, encouraging him to press against her completely. She would welcome every part of him, even the twisted part that made him think blindfolding and binding her would make her accept him.

Then, in a way that made him wonder just how much his absence had hurt her, she whispered, “I want you inside me. Please… will you?”

There were no words to answer her. Instead, he helped her quickly peel off his heavy pants and toss them aside. 

Their bodies touched completely, melding together like the pieces of a puzzle that didn’t quite fit but portrayed parts of the same image. His body was too long and strong, hers was too delicate and yet hard with bones and muscles. He fit between her parted thighs, sliding into her smoothly, but she cried out softly as he filled her. 

_“Too much.”_

He pulled her closer, burying his face into the silk of her hair and letting his hands explore her body. She moaned as he slid a little deeper, but it still wasn’t the entirety of him. Her chest heaved, breasts swelling as she breathed, as she gasped his name. He kissed her, devouring her with all the passion he possessed.

_“Not enough.”_

She wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him closer in one quick moment. Her body stretched to accommodate him and she made a sound between a moan and a whimper. He kissed her again, parting her lips like the petals of a flower and delving inside. She ran her nails down his back, not hard enough to break the skin, just enough to make him feel her.

_“Sasuke.”_

He began to move, nearly at his limit just from the feel of her around him. She was hot and tight, wet, and this was why had had come back. For her, only for her. She threw her head back, thinking nothing of baring her vulnerable throat to him. He kissed her pulse, his tongue pressing there hotly, and she shuddered against him.

_“Don’t stop.”_

She clung to him, her body quivering beneath his hands and his lips. He kissed the small cut on her cheek and she turned her head to catch him. She moaned as he moved within her, filling the place inside that had been empty since he had left her. He squeezed her closer, crushing her into his chest, into his heart.

_“Sakura.”_

Outside, the heavy storm clouds finally broke. With a rumble of thunder that swallowed her cry of his name, the rain began to fall. 

…

Some small part of Sakura feared that when they finished, Sasuke would leave, but he didn’t. He rolled carefully off of her and lay against her side, tugging the red blanket free from beneath them and wrapping them both within it. She nestled tightly against his side, her fingers curling around his bicep and pressing into the crease of a scar that she found there. She couldn’t help but kiss the old injury, wishing she had been able to heal it when it had happened.

“I love you,” she whispered. “I love you so much. I always have.”

Sasuke tucked some pale cherry tresses behind her ear, sweeping her close against him with one arm. Her skin was soft and warm beneath the rough calluses of his fingertips, silken and tender, yet her body was so strong. Her heart was even stronger, like a stone that the ocean could beat against until the end of time without ever being moved. He traced the bones of her hips lightly, memorizing the way her body fit against his and the way she had melted beneath his lips.

“I know,” he murmured to her. 

She smiled, trying not to think about how he hadn’t said the three words she most wanted to hear. But he had come back, he was with her, and that was enough. The rain pattered lightly on the windowpane, thunder rumbling distantly.

X X X

Please, check out my first ORIGINAL NOVEL! **The Breaking of Poisonwood by Paradise Avenger.** (Summary: People were dead. When Skye Davis bought me at a slave auction as a birthday present for his brother, I had no idea what my new life was going to be like, but I had never expected this. It all started when Venus de Luna was killed and I was to take her place, to become the new savior… Then, bad things happened and some people died. In the heart of the earth, we discovered the ancient being that Frank Davis had found and created and used to his advantage. The Poisonwood—)

…

(And I know I fooled no one in to thinking it wasn’t Sasuke that came sneaking through the window, but just let me pretend no one knew what I was plotting. I appreciate it!) I also tried to imply that it was Sasuke who killed Orochimaru, but I‘m not sure how many people got that.

Questions, comments, concerns?

Requests? 

REVIEW!


	2. Reasons to Drink

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 **Summary:** In which Sasuke attempts to learn the Drunken Fist and it doesn’t go well (for him at least).

X X X

Sakura had always known that Rock Lee suffered from an excess of commitment, much in the same way that Naruto did, but she had always associated Sasuke with a distinct lack of commitment. In fact, Sasuke was incredibly commitment-phobic. Sometimes, he didn’t even show up when he was supposed to, claiming he had forgotten, but Sakura could see in his eyes that he had chosen not to come. 

He didn’t want to commit to anything and she supposed she couldn’t really blame him. After all, he had given his whole heart to his family and clan only to have them ripped away from him at such a young age. He had a right to be afraid to give that much of himself to anyone ever again. It was for that reason that Sakura never pressured him to finally make take the next step. She was content to be what she could for him, even if there was no name for their relationship.

But, all that said, Sasuke could commit to one thing and one thing only without hesitation—training to become stronger. Even though his misguided efforts to plunge headlong into danger just to gain strength had faded, he still sometimes rushed off without thinking about what kind of power he would achieve. And Sakura now found herself elbow deep in one such situation. 

She decided that she would commit to getting all her friends some therapy as soon as she got them sorted out.

The Uchiha family home was traditional to a fault with its perfectly-tiled vaulting roof, polished hardwood floors, and paper screen doors. (Sakura occasionally joked that it only needed a pair of Shinto torii gates to make it into a veritable shrine to which Sasuke usually told her dourly that it was a shrine to his dead family.) As such, the Uchiha home was a very bad place to throw a party unless someone sober could successfully keep everyone in a large yard.

The keyword here being “someone sober.” 

When Sasuke had agreed to throw a party at his house, it was under the stipulation that Sakura would stay sober and keep watch over everything to make sure nothing stupid happened. He also made Naruto and Lee promise that the party would remain small, just the three of them preferably. (Sakura had known all along that that would never happen, but she had kept her mouth shut. Sasuke was so antisocial that it would be good for him to spend time with all his friends.) 

Unfortunately, Sakura had a commitment to the hospital that rivaled even Lee’s commitment to training. An emergency soon came in and she had to leave that small gathering, taking a few bottles of sake with her in hopes that it would keep the boys from getting too drunk while she was gone. When she left, it had still been only Naruto, Sasuke, and Lee.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t thought to worry about the rest of their friends showing up with everything from a keg to a beer pong table. When she returned from the hospital to the Uchiha residence, panting with exertion from running the whole way back, she had never thought in a million years that she would find something so out-of-control.

She had hoped that at least one person, maybe Neji or Hinata, would have taken over her role of designated-sober-person, but no such luck.

Naruto had obviously been doing shots because nothing else could make him pass out like that. Hinata was leaning over him, trying to wake him up, but she looked like she was only one sip away from following him into oblivion. Kiba had shared some beer with Akamaru and was now busily trying to catch his drunken dog, but he was too drunk himself to make much progress. Shino was nowhere to be seen, but he was probably off nursing a beer with his bugs. Hopefully bugs couldn’t get drunk.

Shikamaru was lying on his back in the middle of the yard, looking up at the darkening sky and trying to maneuver his cup to his mouth without spilling it. Choji hadn’t had any alcohol, but the sight of so much food had practically put him in a coma. Ino was worse off than both of them. She had taken off most of her clothes and was throwing herself relentlessly at Sasuke’s back. Fortunately, she was so plastered that she was convinced a nearby shrub was Sasuke.

Neji was sitting on the porch, drinking a beer and watching everyone, but his eyes were so out-of-focus that Sakura doubted he could even see his hand in front of his face with or without his Byakugan. TenTen was leaning on him, giggling girlishly with the frog-buttons of her Chinese shirt half-undone. Neji’s fingers traced absently at the exposed skin on his girlfriend and Sakura supposed it was the closest anyone would every get to seeing the stony Hyuuga melt in public.

Worst of all though were Sasuke and Lee, standing in a section of demolished lawn. Lee was a lightweight at the best of times and though he had promised Sakura he wouldn’t touch any alcohol, he must have lost his resolve at some point because he was staggering all around drunkenly. It took Sakura a moment to spot Sasuke through the mess and she realized he was much in the same state as Lee except he was actively trying to fight for some reason.

Drunken Fist, Sakura realized with a jolt of horror. Lee was trying to teach Sasuke Drunken Fist and everything came into focus. 

So much for Sasuke beginning to loosen up and have some fun and stop thinking about getting stronger… He had seen this party as a chance to increase his strength. Though, as Sakura watched him crash headlong into the shrub Ino had been fawning over and get smothered with kisses for his trouble, she had to admire his commitment. But she would admire it later, after she cleaned up this mess!

“Hey!” she shouted. Her voice cut through ten percent of the drunken stupor that had fallen over her friends. Only Choji and Shikamaru turned to look at her.

“Hey Sakura,” Shikamaru said dreamily. “Welcome to the party.”

“The food is delicious,” Choji told her.

She inwardly rolled her head, stepped over Naruto and Hinata, grabbed the bowl of chips, and shoved it into Choji’s hands. “I’m glad you like it. Take it home,” she said.

Choji’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yes,” Sakura continued. “You can have all of it so long as you walk Shikamaru home and,” she glanced over at Ino who was now sobbing that her bush-Sasuke had left her, “drag Ino to her bed.”

Choji nodded, gathered up some chips with one hand, and crossed the lawn. He looked down at Ino for a moment, considering what was safe to grab on her half-naked form. Sakura came to help him after she scraped Shikamaru into a sitting position. She yanked Ino’s shirt on over her head and jostled her friend into her skirt and shoes. 

“Sakura!” Ino drawled, throwing her arms around Sakura’s neck and bringing her face uncomfortably close. “I love you!”

“Whoa baby,” Shikamaru said dreamily. 

Sakura pushed Ino back, broke off a piece of the bush so Ino could take ‘Sasuke’ home, and handed her off to Choji. 

There was a loud crash as Lee knocked Sasuke back into the shrubbery again. “You want a piece of this?” Lee demanded, swooning on his feet. He fell on his face in a boneless heap and lay there until Sasuke wrestled himself free of the bushes and lunged at him again. In one swift movement, Lee had put Sasuke back into the hedge and stood proudly to remark to a non-existent Gai-sensei, “I am kicking his butt with the power of youth!”

Sakura decided to leave them for last. The only thing that was really suffering were the bushes, after all.

Instead, she helped Kiba catch Akamaru and handed off the dog. “Did Shino come with you?” she asked Kiba.

“Sure he did,” Kiba slurred. “He’s right there—” whereupon he pointed proudly to Hinata.

Sakura bundled Kiba back into his sweater, tucked Akamaru inside, and zipped it. Then, she sat him down beside Neji and TenTen on the porch. She moved over to Naruto and toed him gingerly with her foot. He groaned and rolled over, letting out a great snore. 

Hinata sat up and wiped her eyes sleepily, her hair mussed beyond all belief. “Sakura?”

“Hinata,” Sakura said gently as she pulled the girl to her feet. “It’s time to go home.”

“But Naruto…”

“He’s okay,” Sakura assured her. “I’ll take care of him.” Then, she led Hinata over to Neji and pulled the older Hyuuga to his feet. “You two, go home!” she snapped, waving her finger between the two of them. “Between you two prodigies, you should be able to get there safely.”

Neji’s eyes narrowed, but slid to Sakura’s left. “I reject that comment. I am not a prophecy.”

Sakura rolled her eyes. “Oh yes, of course, my mistake.”

Hinata took her cousin’s hand and led him away, her steps unsteady, but directed. Hinata probably hadn’t had that much to drink and Sakura had faith that the two of them could get home alright. It wasn’t as if Konoha was dangerous and the Hyuuga district was right up the street from the Uchiha compound so they didn’t have far to go. Provided neither of them tripped over something, they would be home in five minutes and then they would by someone else’s problem.

Sakura watched them leave the yard and then turned her attention back to Kiba and TenTen. 

Now that Neji was gone, TenTen seemed to have sobered up. She buttoned up her shirt again and met Sakura’s eyes evenly. “Man,” she said smoothly.

“Are you drunk, TenTen?” Sakura asked.

TenTen waved her hand at the mess of beer cans beside her. “On ten beers? Not hardly.”

“Neji was drunk,” Sakura said incredulously. 

“I wanted him that way,” TenTen said. “I had plans.”

“Sorry,” Sakura said gingerly, still uncertain if her friend was drunk or not. TenTen had always been able to hold her liquor better than everyone else, but that was a lot of beer and Neji had been so plastered that he denied being a prodigy. 

“I’ll help you get Lee and Sasuke apart,” TenTen said lightly. Then, she got to her feet and crossed the lawn steadily with Sakura.

“Good luck, Hinata,” Kiba called at their backs. “Go get Orochimaru! Show that pedo-bastard who’s boss!”

Sakura rolled her eyes and stretched her hands into the fray. She grasped Sasuke by the front of his shirt and was surprised to find that he was painfully easy to stop mid-swing. Lee on the other hand landed a solid blow to Sakura’s shoulder that would have cracked the bone if she hadn’t been expecting it and cushioned it with chakra. 

“Want some of this?” Lee shouted.

TenTen took a small kunai from her waist and poked Lee in the forearm with it. The moment the skin broke and bled a few drops, Lee sobered immediately and then fell over on his face. He lay in the grass for a moment and Sasuke tried to wriggle free of Sakura’s grasp to win their little fight while Lee was down. Sakura shook him fiercely and slid him a glare. How dare he get so drunk and try to learn Drunken Fist?

“Ouch,” Lee groaned, looking down at the small injury. “What happened? Did I get drunk?”

“I doubt it was your fault,” Sakura told him, glowering at Sasuke. She healed the tiny cut with a flick of her fingers, still holding Sasuke with one hand. “Are you alright?”

Lee nodded, pushed his hand through his bowl-cut, and then turned hideously green. TenTen grabbed the trash can and put it in his lap moments before he lost his dinner. Lee straightened up a moment later, looking brighter and more cheerful than anything. His drastic mood swings left Sakura’s head spinning, but she had never been so happy for his quick recovery time.

“Will you make sure Kiba and Naruto get home alright?” she asked.

“Sure.” 

Lee crossed the yard, hefted Naruto over his shoulder, and grasped Kiba by the front of his shirt. Both began squawking and complaining, but they were no match for Lee in their drunken states. Naruto looked a little like a trout that had been tossed onto the floor of a boat, flopping and wheezing. Kiba was protesting like a dog put on a leash for the very first time, dragging his heels and tossing his head. Sakura couldn’t help but smile, a little giggle catching in her throat.

TenTen stretched languidly. “As for me,” she said, “if you’ve got everything under control here, I’m going to make sure Neji and Hinata got home alright.”

Sakura nodded to her friend with a smile and watched them until they had all left the wrecked yard. Then, she turned her attention back to Sasuke whom she still had by the front of his shirt. He dangled from her grasp like an overripe fruit, looking both flushed and beaten.

“Sakura?” he slurred out.

“Really, Sasuke?” she said coldly. “I can’t believe you.”

“Why?”

She set him on his feet, scolding him sternly, “Go inside and get washed up while I try to clean up this mess! I can’t believe you! I thought you were smarter than this!” 

Expecting him to listen, she turned her back on him and bent to pick up a few scattered red solo cups, grumbling under her breath. A moment later, Sasuke’s warm weight was against her back, his arms wrapping low around her hips. His cheek was resting on her back, breath warm, some of his hair tickling the exposed back of her neck. She froze. It was incredibly unlike Sasuke to display any affection for her, even in private.

“Sasuke?” she murmured, laying her hand over his wrist.

“Are you mad at me?” he whispered, his voice small like a child’s. 

Sakura sighed. “No,” she said softly. “I’m just a little frustrated with you.”

“Why?” he murmured. 

“Because you can commit to anything so long as it has everything to do with training and nothing to do with,” she hesitated and then forced the word out, “us.”

Sasuke’s arms squeezed around her, his hands pressing tenderly over her hips. “Sorry,” he murmured.

Sakura’s heart skipped a beat. Sasuke was apologizing? Maybe she should get him drunk more often. “It’s alright,” she told him gently. “Why don’t you go inside and I’ll be right there, okay?”

Sasuke nodded slightly into her back, but didn’t move.

As much as she hated to break his embrace, Sakura sighed and gently unwrapped his arms from around her waist. She turned to face him, smiled, and gently pushed him in the direction of his family home. “Go ahead. I’ll be right there.”

Sasuke nodded and took a few staggering steps up the porch. He stopped in the doorway, leaning on the threshold, and seemed to go to sleep. Sakura sighed, looked at the mess of the yard, and decided it could wait until tomorrow. It wasn’t as if Sasuke had any neighbors that would care to look into the backyard and see the mess. Instead, she climbed the steps after him, put her arm around his waist, and led him inside. He leaned on her unabashed, fingers clutching into the back of her shirt.

“Sakura, I love you,” he murmured.

“I know you do,” she said softly, leading him down the hallway to the bathroom. “Even if you can’t show it, I know you do.”

“I can’t show it?” he whispered. “Why not?”

“It’s not that you can’t. You just don’t…” she said softly, nudging the door open with her elbow.

“Why not?” he asked again.

“Because you’re afraid,” she said and wondered if he’d remember any of this tomorrow.

Sasuke tensed against her side and she felt him inhale sharply. She glanced over at him, wondering how he would react since he was so drunk. Would he start shouting and try to use his Drunken Fist on her? It wouldn’t be much of a fight. She was able to pick him up with one hand under the best of circumstances and he was like an overripe melon when he was drunk, dangling from her grasp. But Sasuke didn’t freak out as she had expected.

Instead, he breathed in and then said with his chest puffed out like a proud bird, “Uchiha Sasuke is not afraid of anything.”

“Uchiha Sasuke is now talking about himself in the third person. Are you going to become Hokage after Naruto?” Sakura said with a small hidden smile.

Sasuke snorted. “No! Uchiha Sasuke will be Hokage before Naruto!”

Sakura rolled her eyes and began to pick the worst of the leaves and twigs out of his dark hair. He had been in the bushes more than Ino tonight. Really, it was a little pathetic how badly he had gotten his butt kicked. He was covered in grass stains and dirt so that he looked more like one of Peter Pan’s Lost Boys than the Uchiha heir.

Setting aside the mess of shrubbery she had pulled from his hair, she unbuttoned his shirt, peeling it off his shoulders and trying to resist the urge to run her fingertips down the sculpted muscles of his chest. He really was gorgeous, but she supposed something had to make up for his personality. She laid the shirt aside and moved onto his pants when he realized what she was doing.

“Stop!” he protested, raising his arms above his head. “You can’t take advantage of me! I’m—”

“Sasuke,” she said sternly. “You’re so drunk. Just relax and let me take care of you.”

He lowered his arms and watched her with unfocused eyes as she stripped him of his pants and boxers. Then, she stared the water and jostled him into the shower. “Can you clean yourself up or do you need me to help you?”

His fingers curled softly around her cheeks, tangling in her pink tresses, and she looked up to meet his eyes. His gaze was soft and sweet as he whispered, “I’ll always need you.”

A small flush crept up Sakura’s cheeks and her heart swelled with the words. “Sasuke,” she murmured.

He leaned down, closing the space between them, and Sakura’s eyes fluttered closed of their own accord. She waited for his kiss, but then his lips trailed along her jaw and she knew he hadn’t done it on purpose because he made a little surprised sound and nearly toppled over, unbalanced. 

With a sigh, Sakura pushed him back, letting him lean against the vanity, and then kissed him. His arms circled around her back like a castle, drawing her closer, holding her against his nudity. His lips were soft and gentle, fearless, as he kissed her with all the emotion in his heart. 

Yes, Sakura thought as she tangled her fingers in his hair, maybe she should get him drunk more often. She liked this side of him—his emotions raw and unfiltered, his heart on his sleeve, and it was just a little bit funny to see the legendary Uchiha Sasuke stagger into the wall.

She broke the kiss gently and then guided him into the shower. “Get in and lean on the wall,” she said. “Don’t fall. Plenty of people die in the shower every year.”

He caught her hand, his eyes deep and wide. “You’re coming with me, right?”

She nodded. “Just as soon as I take my clothes off.”

“I never want to be apart from you again,” he whispered. 

She squeezed his hand. “You won’t be,” she promised.

He stepped cautiously into the shower, pulled the curtain closed at his back, and she heard him sigh as he stood beneath the warm water. She didn’t know what Sasuke’s infatuation with warm showers was, but he loved them. She supposed it had something to do with all the time he had spent with Orochimaru, traveling from one dank underground hidden base to another, but he wouldn’t tell her anything about it. Usually, he avoided her questions by reaching down between her legs, stroking her until she forgot, and then ravishing her.

Sakura shook those thoughts away. Sasuke was drunk! She wasn’t going to take advantage of him. She took off her clothes, kicked them aside, and then stepped into the shower with him. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and just held him for a moment, pressing her lips to the curse mark on his neck.

She felt him shudder and he began to turn to face her and she knew things would be out of her hands soon if she didn’t stop him. Gripping his shoulders, she made him continue to face forward and squeezed some shampoo into her hands. She scrubbed her fingers through the inky tresses, enjoying the way Sasuke melted into her touch. Usually, he stoically let her touch him, barely expression any like or dislike for whatever she was doing, but when he was drunk…

“That feels nice,” he murmured.

Sakura smiled and pushed him gently under the stream of water to rinse away the soap. He sputtered slightly, but soon relaxed further. He put his hands on her shoulders and held her close, feeling every inch of her nakedness pressed against his.

“Sakura,” he whispered, “Let me wash your hair.”

She nodded and handed him the bottle of shampoo. It was strange to feel his fingers sliding through the short tresses, massaging her scalp and brushing along her ears. Sasuke had always like girls with long hair, but Sakura had never been able to convince herself to let her hair grow out again since they had been children. The her with long hair was someone she had wanted to leave behind. 

“I like your hair like this,” he whispered suddenly.

She jolted, wondering if she had spoken aloud. “You do?”

He nodded, lips brushing her shoulder gently. “Yeah.”

“But I thought you liked girls with long hair,” she said softly.

He nodded and then shook his head slowly.

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“I love you,” was all he said.

Just because Sasuke was drunk and a little more open about everything didn’t necessarily mean he was any easier to understand. Sakura sighed and closed her eyes, dipping her head back beneath the spray of water to wash away the remaining suds. Then, she reached past Sasuke’s hip to turn off the warm water and he made a little sound of disappointment.

“We can shower together tomorrow,” Sakura said kindly.

“Okay.”

She pulled back the curtain and helped him step out of the shower. She didn’t want him to slip and kill himself, poor drunk bastard… She dropped a towel over his head and turned away to dry herself off. Sasuke stood there, dripping, watching her.

“Dry off, Sasuke,” she told him sternly. “You can do that much.”

“You’re beautiful,” he said suddenly.

A hot flush crept up her neck. She didn’t know what to do with Sasuke when he was so open like this, so honest about his feelings, even if he was saying everything she had ever wanted to hear. It was like being with an entirely different person.

“Thanks,” she said.

After that, Sasuke dried himself off an wrapped his towel around his hips in a moment of clarity. Then, he leaned heavily on the wall and his eyes slid out of focus. He pressed a hand to his head with a groan. “I think I had a little too much to drink,” he muttered.

Sakura led him down the hall to their shared bedroom. “Gee, you think?”

Sasuke flopped down on his bed, his hair fanning wetly all around his head. For a moment, he stared at her as she dropped the towel and moved to the bureau to take out some clean clothes. Her body was creamy and slender, beautiful in the faint light that was coming in through the slats of the blinds. 

“Sakura,” he murmured.

She turned to face him and he opened his arms. She would never be able to deny him. She had loved him so completely and for so long—he knew he was lucky to have someone like her and he knew he didn’t deserve her, but he still wanted her. He loved her with all the remaining pieces of his heart.

“Sasuke?” she whispered as she lay down against his side. 

Her naked breasts were pressed against his ribs, so soft, and he could feel her heartbeat. He turned his head to look at her, his dark eyes meeting her emerald ones, and then he leaned down to kiss her. This time, he met her lips without incident and kissed her deeply. 

Sakura moaned softly, pouring herself into the kiss, her fingers curling against his bare chest. “Sasuke,” she whispered into him.

He held the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her damp hair and bringing her closer, his tongue snaking into her mouth. She moaned again, opening her mouth wider to welcome him inside. Her tongue tangled with his and this time, she was able to control the kiss. 

He wrapped his arms around her and lifted himself t hover over her. She wrapped her legs around his hips, feeling his hardness through the towel between them. She ground against him, prying a man from his lips. Sasuke dipped his head to kiss and promptly mashed his lips into the mattress. 

Sakura giggled, cupped his face in her hands, and helped him meet her lips. He really had had too much to drink. His kiss was tender and soft yet there was still passion in it. He nearly seared her with his raw emotions, branding his love into her lips. She clutched him, rocking her hips against his erection.

Sasuke groaned and pulled the towel away with one hand. Then, there was a lot of fumbling as he tried to get his mind and hands to cooperate through the haze of alcohol. Sakura giggled again and neatly rolled him over onto his back, straddling him from above. 

He held her hips a little sheepishly as she gripped his length and guided it inside her body with a soft moan. Sasuke’s eyes fluttered as the heat of her engulfed him, groaning out her name. Sakura smiled down at him when she had taken him completely inside her body. It wasn’t often that he let her have this much control over him and she was enjoying every minute of it. 

She began to ride him, the flesh of her bottom making a soft slap-slap sound as it met his thighs. He groaned, tipping his head back and holding her hips tightly. Sakura swooped down and kissed his bared throat, tracing her tongue along his dark jugular. He shuddered, moaning quietly. 

She lifted herself off him to the tip and then plunged back down, feeling the head of him press against her womb. She moaned, rolling her hips in a light circle, as she came down on him again. He lifted his hips into her, but his body was slower and she found herself holding him down with her hands. 

She wanted this. She wanted to be in control of him, in control of their love. She liked him like this, pliant and vulnerable beneath her. He was looking up at her with soft eyes, his emotions written clearly on his face. Sakura decided she would get him drunk more often—just so she could see him like this.

He cried out her name and gripped her hips tightly when he came and she continued to ride him as his member softened inside her, lavishing pleasure on him until the very end. Then, she took the damp towel and cleaned them both up before crawling into bed beside him. He held her tightly, breathing hard into her neck, and she smiled.

“Sakura, I love you,” he whispered. “And… I’m sorry…”

She cradled him against her breasts, tangling her fingers in the back of his hair. “I love you too, Sasuke.”

She felt him smile and nestle close against her body. She closed her eyes, just enjoying the feeling of his warmth against her and his arms around her. How long had it been since he had held her like this, if he ever had? She liked this. Maybe, getting Sasuke drunk wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Then, almost abruptly, he slurred out, “Do you think the back of my head looks like a chicken’s ass?”

“Go to sleep!”

X X X

I had a little too much fun writing this. It was so fun to write drunk Sasuke and annoyed-yet-happy Sakura. (Plus the rest of the Naruto gang was pretty hilarious drunk.) I know I’m not the first person to try this idea, but I had to put my spin on it anyway. I hope you laughed!

Questions, comments, concerns?

Review!


	3. Umbrella

Fun word of the day, “pluvial” meaning “of or pertaining to rain.”

 **Summary:** The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, but today that road is very wet.

X X X

When your boyfriend was your childhood friend and next-door-neighbor, there were some good things and also some bad things. Sakura had only ever thought about the good things like how close their houses were so she could be home very late or how they could walk home from school every afternoon. Since he was her childhood friend, her parents had known Sasuke forever and trusted him more than they would another boy. 

It was for those reasons that Sakura was allowed to remain home alone when her parents went on a weekend business trip. Sasuke was there, right next door, if she needed anything along with his loving parents and older brother. It was the perfect setup. 

Well, not so much this morning…

Sakura cursed as she tore open the hall closet, pulled everything out of it, and then slammed the door as best she could through the strewn items. “Where the hell did it go?” she growled under her breath, kicking aside some heavy coats and a soccer ball. The ball bounced into the front door and came hurtling back at her, knocking painfully into her shins. Sakura cursed again, shoved the ball into the closet, and slammed the door again.

Outside, thunder rumbled fiercely and she heard the unmistakable sound of rain beginning to fall. 

“Did someone take it?” she half-shouted and gave up her search. Instead, she opened the messy closet again, dodged the soccer ball as it tumbled out, and began to search for her raincoat instead. Just her luck! Somehow, both her umbrella and her raincoat had inexplicably disappeared. 

The alarm on her phone chirped, reminding her that if she didn’t leave now she would be late for school for certain. 

Cursing, she gave up her search, grabbed her backpack, held it over her head, and rushed out into the pouring rain. It became clear that she would be soaked in seconds and she took off running as if she could outrun the downpour. No such luck. By the time she reached the end of the block, she was soaked all the way through to the skin. 

With a heavy sigh, she stopped running, lowered her backpack, and began to walk at her usual pace. It wasn’t as if she could get any wetter. Damn, Sasuke… the one morning she actually needed him and he had to go in to school early to retake a test that he had missed. The Uchihas notoriously hated rain and were never the sort of people who lost their umbrellas and raincoats. 

A sleek familiar car pulled up alongside Sakura and the window rolled down. She glanced over, relieved and embarrassed. 

“Sakura?” Itachi asked, peering out at her from the dry interior of his car. “What are you doing? Where’s your umbrella?”

“Someone broke into my house and stole it,” she muttered.

Itachi lifted a dark brow and pushed open the car door to allow her inside. She climbed in gratefully, shivering now that she was out of the cold rain. Itachi rummaged through his backseat, produced a towel, and handed it to her. (He was on the swim team. Sakura and Sasuke had gone together to a few of his meets, but watching a bunch of people in plastic swim caps do laps wasn’t the most exciting thing in the world.) 

“Thanks,” she said and began to wring water from her clothes and hair.

“Why didn’t you call? Sasuke would have walked you to school. He’s never had his umbrella,” Itachi eyed her and then said slowly, “stolen.”

Sakura snorted and refused to dignify Itachi’s comment about her umbrella. “He had to go in early to make up a test,” she said.

“What test?” Itachi asked. 

“One he missed the other day while the archery team was at competition, remember?”

Itachi nodded slowly and then asked suddenly, “Is your umbrella pink? With little flowers on it?”

Sakura turned her head to look at him, but his face gave away nothing. Itachi was a fantastic poker player. “Yes,” she said. “Why?”

“No reason,” Itachi said as he parked in the lot and took his umbrella from the backseat. He opened it, stepped out into the rain, and circled his car to shelter Sakura beneath it when she got out as well. 

“I don’t suppose you have a spare one of those?” Sakura asked Itachi as he locked up his car and began walking towards the school.

“Not in my car, no,” he said and then smiled down at her the same way he teasingly grinned at Sasuke. “Besides, I don’t think I should lend umbrellas to someone who recently had theirs stolen.”

Now that she was dried off and out of the rain, Sakura did have to admit that the thought was a little ridiculous. Who went around stealing umbrellas? “Okay, maybe it wasn’t stolen,” Sakura relented, “but I looked everywhere for it. I’m telling you, it’s gone.”

“I’m sure it will turn up,” Itachi assured her as he opened the door for both of them. He folded down his umbrella, took his sodden towel, gave Sakura a little wave, and walked away. A few girls cooed as he passed by and though Sakura supposed Itachi was attractive in his own way, he didn’t compare to Sasuke in her mind.

“Why are you wet?” 

Sakura turned to face her loving boyfriend, a smile already stretching across her face despite the rotten way her morning had started, when she saw the pink flowered umbrella that was folded neatly under his hands like a cane. For a moment, she just stared in shock. 

So her umbrella had been stolen… by none other than her boyfriend, Sasuke!

With a shriek, Sakura punched him as hard as she could. He staggered backwards, his dark eyes widening with surprise and his lips parting to speak. Sakura cut him off, pointing her finger in his face and shouting, “You no-good rotten umbrella-stealer! I hate you!” Then, she turned on her heel and stalked away before he could even say a word.

…

Sakura avoided Sasuke for the rest of the day, keeping herself rallied tightly in a knot of girlfriends. (Though Sasuke hated to admit that he was frightened of anything, the glares Sakura’s friends had been sending him were fierce enough to melt iron and he wasn’t sure he wanted to cross them so he stayed clear.) 

How dare he steal her umbrella when it was so obviously going to rain!

The school day ended and Sakura found herself standing at the front doors, looking out at the torrential downpour. She hadn’t really thought about this part yet… She didn’t want to forgive or acknowledge Sasuke, but if she didn’t, she would have to walk home in the pouring rain. 

Sakura looked for Itachi, instead. Nut he had swim practice and wouldn’t be getting out until much later, he had explained while giving her a look that suggested he wanted to tell her she should just go home with Sasuke, but Sakura didn’t want to explain it to him. She thought about staying in the library, pretending to do some project until Itachi finished and could give her a ride home, but that seemed unreasonably silly. 

Especially since Sasuke was following her everywhere, carrying her pink flowered umbrella like a torch.

So, unwilling to back down, Sakura tucked her head, pushed her hair behind her ears, and trucked out into the rain. It was warmer now than it had been this morning, but that didn’t make it any more pleasant. Sakura was soon drenched, her clothes hanging off her body like lead weights and her backpack sagging wetly.

All the while, Sasuke followed behind her, his footsteps splashing through puddles.

Suddenly, the umbrella tipped over her head and she felt the heat of Sasuke’s closeness against her back. With a huff, she pushed the umbrella away with one hand and walked a little quicker. Sasuke continued to follow only now he occasionally did this. Each time, Sakura pushed the umbrella away, refusing to even look at him.

How dare he steal her umbrella! How dare he make her walk to school in the rain!

She was too angry to forgive him now and she kept walking fiercely through the cold downpour. Again, Sasuke slid the umbrella over her head and she batted it away, shivering as the cold wetness assaulted her again. She stomped through a puddle and Sasuke still followed.

Thunder rumbled, followed by a quick flash of lightning, and it began to rain even harder. 

Again, Sasuke dipped the umbrella over her head and Sakura swatted it viciously away. She began to wonder if the two of them would get struck by lightning. It seemed like a fitting, if not stupid, end to her day. Hopefully Itachi would come along soon. Swing practice was probably canceled now that there was lightning.

Finally, she whirled on Sasuke. “What’s your problem?” she demanded.

Sasuke gazed at her, his dark eyes glittering like jewels. She was surprised to see that he was nearly as wet as she was, but she realized that each time he had slid the umbrella over her head, he had been soaked by rain instead. A little piece of her wet heart softened.

“What are you doing?” she asked him, some of the bite taken from her words.

He let the umbrella drop to the side, the cold rain pouring over both of them. 

“Well?” Sakura asked again, pushing back a curtain of soaked hair. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

Sasuke met her eyes and his lips pulled in a soft smile. “I just,” he said softly, “wanted to share a romantic walk under an umbrella with you.”

Though her heart swelled warmly at his words, she forced herself to hang onto her anger. “You took my umbrella! I was drenched on my way to school this morning.”

Sasuke frowned, tipping his head up to look at the overcast sky. “It wasn’t supposed to rain until later.”

“Well, Mother Nature didn’t get that message!” Sakura snapped at him. 

Sakura turned on her heel again, fully intending to stalk off, when Sasuke’s warm arm wrapped around her waist from behind. He pulled her back to his chest, cradling her there, and held the umbrella over both their heads. Even though they were already soaked, it still felt nice not to have the rain pouring down on their heads.

Sasuke rested his cheek against the side of her head, his warm breath wafting over her wet skin, and she shivered lightly. Sasuke would never apologize, but this was that closest he would come and it was enough for Sakura. She understood him the way no one else did and he understood her—they were childhood friends after all.

She leaned into him with a sigh. “I suppose your heart was in the right place,” she said finally. 

Sasuke pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Thank you,” he murmured.

Sakura shifted in his arms, turning so she could face him and still remain under the shelter of the umbrella. He kept one arm wrapped around her back, holding her flush against his chest so that she pressed her hands to his soaked shirt and felt the heat and heartbeat beneath. 

Slowly, he dipped his head and water dripped off the ends of his dark hair. Sakura closed her eyes, rising up to meet him. Their lips met in a cool rain-soaked kiss, but when Sasuke’s lips parted and his tongue touched hers, all Sakura felt was fire. She made a soft sound, her hands gripping his wet shirt tightly, and his tongue slid deeper into her mouth. The fire that she felt where their mouths were connected spread through her chest and pooled low in her belly. 

“Sasuke,” she whispered.

His hands slid up the back of her shirt, warm compared to the cold material of her wet shirt. She shivered, her back arching so that her small breasts were pressed more fully against his strong chest. He deepened the kiss, his hair whispering along her cheeks and sticking there. He nipped the corner of her lips lightly, smirking, and Sakura pressed herself harder into him. She could feel his desire, made more prominent by his wet clinging clothing. 

“Hey!”

They broke apart so fast that there should have been a deafening sound, but there was only the sound of the rain and thunder. Another fork of lightning split through the grey sky. Sasuke kept Sakura close under the shelter of the umbrella as he turned to glare at his brother. Damn Itachi and his damn car…

“What are you doing?” Itachi demanded, waving them both over to get in the car. “You’re going to get struck by lightning.”

Sakura broke away from Sasuke’s embrace, her cheeks flushing a cute shade of pink, as she climbed into the messy backseat. Sasuke walked around the car with Sakura’s pink umbrella and slid into the passenger seat with a huff. 

“Nice umbrella, little brother,” Itachi said with a smirk.

Sasuke gave him the finger.

“Why aren’t you at swim practice?” Sakura asked to break the tension.

“The lightning,” Itachi explained. “Coach Kakashi believes we can swim in the rain since we’re already wet, but he knows how dangerous lightning is.”

Sakura nodded, grinning at the thought. Half the school believed Coach Kakashi had been struck by lightning. He had gravity-defying grey-white hair and a shocking tendency to know exactly who was using their cell phone in class. He had a freakish affinity for electricity and yet occasionally wigged out for now reason as suddenly as any bolt of lightning.

Itachi pulled into his family’s driveway and shut off his car. “Okay, Sasuke, now that Sakura’s umbrella has been located, why don’t you walk her over to her house and make sure nothing else was stolen?”

Sasuke looked like he was going to flip his brother the bird again so Sakura laughed and just got out without the umbrella. It wasn’t as if she could get any wetter. A moment later, Sasuke climbed out after her and slammed the car door shut fiercely. Itachi’s laughter was muffled, but still very clear. 

Together, they walked across the grass to Sakura’s house. She fished out her key and unlocked the door, swinging it open into the dimly-lit ruin she had created that morning. The soccer ball was lying in wait, but she suspected as much and stepped over it. Sasuke was not so lucky. He stepped directly onto the ball, lost his footing, and went down in a heap among all the coats and boxes that Sakura had pulled out of the closet. She giggled and turned on a few lights.

“What happened in here?” Sasuke asked, his eyes widening.

Sakura rolled her shoulders. “I was robbed.”

“What?”

She giggled, sounding eerily like Itachi. “I was looking for my umbrella. After I gave up this morning and went out into the pouring rain, Itachi picked me up and I told him that my umbrella had been stolen,” she explained, but it was somehow less funny out loud.

At least Sasuke had the decency to look guilty. 

He helped her gather up the ruin of her hallway, stuff it all back into the closet, and even kicked the soccer ball into the backyard. Then, he put her umbrella back in the stand where it belonged and turned towards the door. Sakura thought he was going home and opened her mouth to thank him, but instead, Sasuke locked her front door again. 

A moment later, he was on her. 

His body caged her against the wall and he cupped her face in his warm hands. Then, his mouth was against her and she made a little sound of delight as his tongue dipped in. She tightened her grip on his wet shirt, pulling him closer, and then shivered abruptly. Her teeth chattered and Sasuke pulled away to look at her.

She tucked some wet hair behind her ear and looked sheepishly away. She was soaked to the skin and she was cold. No matter how hotly he kissed her, she didn’t think that was going to change any time soon. Sasuke seemed to think for a minute, his dark eyes inscrutable and his expression mild. 

Then, he slid his hands beneath her shirt and peeled it off over her head. The material landed on the floor with a wet slap. Before she could react, he had pulled off his own shirt and crushed her to his naked chest. The heat of him soaked into her immediately and she gratefully wrapped her arms around his torso.

His mouth was hot on her neck, nipping and sucking, filling her insides with delicious heat even as her sodden clothes ruined the rest of her life. His hands slid beneath the hem of her skirt, cupping her bottom and squeezing lightly. Her panties were soaked, more than soaked, and Sasuke smirked into her neck.

Sakura blushed as Sasuke pulled down her wet skirt and panties, throwing them aside with her shirt. Then, not without some difficulty, he shucked his wet jeans and kicked them away. Naked, he pressed against her and she felt nothing but the burning heat of his skin and passion.

She moaned softly, throwing her head back, and Sasuke licked away a drop of cold rainwater that dared slide down her breasts. She shivered, tangling her fingers in his wet hair, and he closed his burning mouth over her nipple. She cried out as he teased it with his teeth, rasping his tongue over the little nub.

He slid lower down her body, making sure she felt every move he made. Her skin was cold compared to his hot tongue and he wondered what she would feel when he delved into her very core. Sakura yelped with surprise when he lifted her legs over his shoulders from his kneeling position. Not only did this arrangement support her body, but it also gave him perfect access. 

He grinned as he drew a long slow lick over her folds. She squirmed, her hands tangling in his dark hair with a moan. She tugged slightly, pleadingly, and he didn’t make her wait. He pressed two fingers into her core, feeling the hot wetness inside her compared to her rain-cooled skin. She cried out as he curled them within her.

Then, he fell on her with lips and teeth and tongue in all the ways he knew drove her crazy. He had to make up for the hellish morning he had put her through—stupid weather. Sakura gasped his name when he sucked lightly on her pearl. He felt her inner thighs quiver, the muscles going weak with pleasure, and grinned. 

He thrust his fingers, timing his tongue perfectly, and she came so abruptly that he almost wasn’t prepared when her entire body went limp. Gently, he caught her in his arms and carried her upstairs. Her bed was still unmade from this morning and it was an easy matter to slide her beneath the covers. 

Then, Sasuke slid in beside her, spooning against her naked back. Sakura was just about to roll over and give him the pleasure he deserved when she felt him nudge her legs gently apart. She welcomed him, giving him all the access he needed to slide into her from behind. It was strange to be filled like this. She had never felt so close to him.

He began to rock his hips, slowly, gently, and his hand slid down her front. He paused, lavishing attention on each breast with his fingertips, before sliding lower and stroking her pearl. She gasped, her back arching into him and her muscles clamping down. She was still so sensitive from her earlier orgasm.

Sasuke swept her wet hair aside and pressed kissed to the back of her neck. She moaned quietly, moving her hips back to meet him. Sasuke’s fingers set a rhythm, his lips lavishing attention all over her sensitive throat, and she was so warm after the cold rain. It didn’t take much more for a second orgasm to wash through her small body.

Sasuke shuddered against her back, feeling the contractions and then soft release of her body. A moment later, he spilled inside her, but didn’t move. He pulled her closer, cradling her tightly to his chest and tucking her head beneath his chin. Sakura snuggled in as the last of the pluvial chill left her body.

“Sasuke,” she said softly.

“Yes?”

“Next time you want to go for a romantic walk in the rain, just ask…”

He stiffened slightly. “You know how I am with words…”

“Someday, I’ll be an Uchiha,” Sakura said sternly. “I don’t like to be stuck in the rain.”

She felt Sasuke’s blush against the back of her neck, but he placed countless kisses on her sensitive skin to distract her. “Alright,” he relented.

Sakura smiled and nestled deeply in her warm bed. It was still raining outside, droplets pattering softly on the windowpane, but now she was beginning to like it. Even the rumble of the thunder was relaxing as she melted into Sasuke’s embrace. Maybe this hadn’t been such a bad day after all.

X X X

I’ve been reading CLAMP’s series xxxHolic lately and you know what…? Holic is always going on about umbrellas and the rainy season in Japan, though normally it’s more about the complaints and traditions. (Yuuko even says at one point that “The fox spirit takes a bride” which apparently means that it’s sunny and yet raining.) Anyway, one thing that they talked about that I really liked was how the Japanese think that women are most beautiful “at night, from a distance, or under an umbrella.” I have a traditional Japanese oil paper umbrella and I do feel pretty underneath it. So, all this umbrella-related prattle really has nothing to do with the story… I just like umbrellas and rain and they’ve been cooking in my head for a few days now and this came out of it.

Questions, comments, concerns?

Let's see some reviews!


	4. LadyHawke

**Summary:** Sasuke, a wildlife rehabilitator, finds an injured red-tailed hawk. He promises her the sky and when he comes through, she wants to repay his kindness. (No bestiality. Completely vanilla.)

X X X

Sasuke dragged himself home after an arduous day of work, being extra careful with his precious cargo. This must be what it feels like to be pregnant, he thought as he eased his door front door shut and stepped over a slumbering mutt that had seen fit to sprawl in the middle of the floor. He was trying to be quiet so that he wouldn’t bring the wrath of every houseguest down on his head, but no such luck today. He wasn’t sure who was kidding anyway. It was nigh impossible to sneak into his house for one good reason.

Sasuke was a wildlife rehabilitator. 

In a chorus of happy greetings, countless animals flew, ran, slithered, and hopped to meet him at the door as soon as they sensed his presence. Seven cats twisted around his legs, rubbing and purring. A great white cockatoo swooped down to perch on his shoulder, immediately picking at his hair in a companionable grooming. The slumbering dog jumped to his feet, barking eagerly. Several rabbits were perched on their hind legs, staring up at him with beady hungry eyes. The massive python whose cage took up an entire section of his living room lifted its head and its forked tongue slid out. 

“Alright, alright,” Sasuke said to the crowd, nudging aside a few cats gingerly with his foot so he could get to his kitchen counter. It took a moment to clear aside the hamster cages and fish bowls so he could set down the plastic carrier that held his precious cargo. Hands free, he spent a long moment giving everyone the attention that they so desperately wanted. 

Then, he moved through his cluttered home to check on a few of his more recent and attention-demanding cases. 

His bathtub contained a baby alligator that was waiting for a prosthetic tail before it could be moved to a zoo that specialized in such cases. Sasuke was planning on making the drive to drop the baby off later in the week once he had a chance to make sure it was adapting well to its new tail. 

There was a young red fox in his bedroom, healing since its jaw had been broken in a hunter’s trap. He had crammed himself mostly under Sasuke’s bed, only his bottlebrush tail sticking out and yet Sasuke was certain he thought he was completely out of sight. The fox wasn’t very smart, but hey, he was cute. 

Last, but certainly not least, he returned to the kitchen and gently carried his precious cargo to the large enclosure in his backyard where he kept the birds. (The white cockatoo lived in his house because she got hopelessly lonely and started screaming. Sasuke couldn’t really blame the poor bird. Her owners had moved away and left her behind to starve to death in a too-small cage. It had taken Sasuke little more than an hour to coax her onto his shoulder and the two of them were inseparable now.)

He let the dogs out with him into the massive fenced-in yard and crossed to the large greenhouse that he had transformed into a giant aviary with the help of some friends over a weekend. Keeping the dogs outside the enclosure, he let himself in, doing a routine check on the owls and peregrine falcons that were under his care. They were all coming along nicely, even if the grouchy crow he had taken in pecked his knuckles viciously for his trouble of checking on the beast. 

Sasuke set the carrier down on a long table covered in perches, towels, and other bird-handling equipment such as hoods and thick leather gloves. Donning the gloves, he reached into the carrier and gently withdrew his precious cargo.

The red-tailed hawk was beautiful though a little small for her species. Her red-brown feathers were glossy and thick, her black talons sharp as daggers, and there was intelligence in her bright green eyes a she watched him. Sasuke guided her from his gloves hand to one of the perches on the table. She settled there easily, regarding him, as he put the carrier away beneath the table and took out a notebook that he kept detailed reports on all his animals in.

The red-tail’s wing was broken, but she had already been to the veterinarian. Her bandaged wing was tucked in against her side, wrapped in bandages, and she ruffled her good wing experimentally. Sasuke couldn’t imagine it was very nice for a beautiful creature like her—a bird of prey who had always known the sky—to be confined to the ground. But at least she was with him now. He would do all he could to heal her so she could take to the skies again.

Gingerly, Sasuke encouraged the hawk onto his hand again. If she panicked and tried to fly away from him, she could hurt herself badly and Sasuke would be right back where he started. He spoke soothingly to her, brushing her taloned toes with his gloved fingers encouragingly. Much to his surprise, she stepped easily onto his hand and didn’t struggle even as he carried her gently to a small enclosure. (He couldn’t give her much space yet because he didn’t want her to attempt to fly and injure her wing further, but he wanted her to be able to see the sky as she healed.)

He slid her off onto a perch within a large shelter box and took off his gloves. The hawk was still regarding him curiously with her bright green eyes. Had he ever seen green eyes like these on a hawk? Certainly, he must have at one time, but something about her eyes felt… different. She was still watching him, studying him with an almost human intelligence. 

Sasuke ventured out a hand, being sure that she could see it. It wasn’t often that he spent extended time with the birds he took in. He needed to release them into the wild once they had healed, after all, but something about this hawk made him want to touch her. She regarded his pale fingers, but didn’t move away or snap at him. Gently, Sasuke stroked the feathers of her good wing.

She continued to watch him without protest, green eyes bright. 

Sasuke withdrew his hand, something light and warm taking root in his chest. “Alright, lady,” he said gently to her, keeping his voice in a tone she would understand even if his words meant nothing to a hawk. “You just rest. I’ll fix you up and get you back in the sky, I promise.”

Her beak opened and she let out a great shrieking cry, tilting her face to the sky, as if to say that she would hold him to that promise.

…

The few weeks that past after that went by in a usual routine for Sasuke. 

He managed to find good homes for one of his cats and two of his dogs. (He couldn’t keep every animal he rehabilitated, after all.) He drove the baby alligator with the prosthetic tail to the zoo in the city, handing it off to a friend of his. Now that the fox’s jaw had healed, he began integrating the fox back into the wilderness by letting it out into the yard to hunt mice and small rabbits. The fox was coming along nicely, even if he was rather stupid. Sasuke could probably release him soon.

He took on a few more hard-luck cases, hoping that his touch would be enough. He accepted a one-legged duck into his care, trying to think of a way the silly thing could learn to get around now took up a fair amount of time. Someone had brought him a foul-tempered cat missing its tail. In his attempts to get the cat to warm up to him, Sasuke had earned more than a few scratches. Meanwhile, he had adopted a one-eyed Weimaraner and was watching with some amusement as it learned to judge distances with no depth perception. 

Though Sasuke’s days were fuller than ever, he always made time to visit the beautiful red-tailed hawk with the broken wing.

She had healed nicely and he had moved her to a larger enclosure in the greenhouse-turned-aviary so she could take short flights to strengthen the muscles in her wing again. She still let him touch her, regarding him always with her bright green eyes, and she would always look to the sky as if to remind him of his promise. Sasuke hadn’t forgotten that he had promised the hawk her freedom and the sky. He was pleased to say that he would be able to release her in just a few more days. 

Though part of him would be sad to see her go, his chest was light with happiness. Nothing felt better than the moment he released a bird that was born to fly back into the open sky. 

He entered the greenhouse with a small cage of mice and released a mouse into each enclosure, watching for a moment to be sure his birds were still able to hunt. He was pleased to find that most of them were coming along splendidly. He slipped a mouse into the red-tailed hawk’s enclosure and she immediately swooped down on the mouse like the beautiful predator she was. It seemed that Sasuke’s presence with her had not dulled her instincts in the least.

When she finished, her bright green eyes immediately lit on him and she let out a fierce hawk cry as if in greeting.

Sasuke smiled, opened the door, and entered. It was all he could do to lift his hand in time to give her a place to perch when she swooped down at him. Though he wore his thick falconer’s gloves, he could still feel the deadly press of her talons and stroked her feathers gently.

“I think you can go free any day now,” he told her in a soft voice.

She cocked her head and ruffled her feathers.

Sasuke smiled, stroking her lightly. “How about if the weather’s nice tomorrow? I’ll let you go then.”

She lifted her wings and flapped them powerfully, sending gusts of air into his face and lifting his dark hair away from his cheeks. 

His grin widened. “Oh, you’re definitely ready, aren’t you, lady?”

She screamed, her call echoing against the walls and open windows of the greenhouse.

…

It was very late, the moon hanging high in the sky, and Sasuke was trying to sleep. It wasn’t exactly easy in a profession like his. Countless cats and dogs had crammed themselves along his sides, snuggled tightly against him warmly. The stupid fox (though Sasuke had tried very hard to get it to sleep in the backyard) insisted on sleeping with him as well. Otherwise, the fox sat at his back door and cried those horrible fox cries. The white cockatoo was sleeping on her perch, feathers fluffed around her beak drowsily.

Careful not to disturb any of the many animals sleeping with him, Sasuke eased himself out of bed and pulled on his favorite cotton robe. He slid his hands into the pockets, found a sleeping hedgehog, put the little creature back into its proper cage, and tiptoed into the living room for a mug of warm milk. Maybe that would help him sleep.

Sipping the warm drink, Sasuke went to the window and looked out over the backyard. In the aviary, he could see a few of his owls milling about now that night had fallen. There was always something strange in his backyard so it took Sasuke a moment to realize that what he was staring at didn’t really belong in a wildlife rehabilitator’s yard.

There was a naked woman standing in the grass, the moonlight shining down on her alabaster skin. Her long waist-length hair was a shade below blood-red and just above rose-pink and Sasuke swore he could see feathers tangled in the end of her tresses. There were also odd dark marks on her shoulder blades.

For a moment, Sasuke could only stare at her, stricken. What was a naked woman doing in his backyard at—he glanced at the clock—one o’clock in the morning? His instincts kicked in. Quickly, he rushed out into the backyard and felt the cool dampness of the grass sink into his bare feet.

“Hey!” he called out. “Are you alright?”

The beautiful woman turned to look at him and the night wind blew her hair around her like a pair of folded wings. Her bright green eyes shone in the darkness, seeming to close the distance between them with only a look, and Sasuke stopped dead in the middle of his lawn.

“No way…” he breathed out.

Those green eyes… They were the eyes of the beautiful red-tailed hawk. Though when he had looked at the hawk and seen something oddly human in her eyes, he now saw something entirely animalistic in this woman’s stunning eyes. He could only stare, his mouth going dry.

Her mouth curved into a stunning smile, bright white teeth peeking out between her pink lips. Lifting a hand, she tucked some long hair behind her ear and turned to face him completely. The moonlight fell across her naked skin, painting the curve of her breasts and hips and cheek. 

“Are you… the hawk?” he whispered.

She smoothly closed the space between them, laying her long-fingered hands on his chest. Her touch was as light as feathers, warm and soft. “Am I?”

Sasuke stared into her eyes, his heart in his throat. “Is this a dream?”

“Is it?” she whispered, her lips parting lightly.

Sasuke shivered beneath her hands, looking at the pulse of her heartbeat beneath her pale skin. “I don’t know.”

“Do you believe in the impossible?” she breathed out.

Sasuke nodded readily. He dealt with the impossible every day—taking on the animals that even the veterinarian said could never be healed. Everyone else had turned their backs on the stupid fox with the broken jaw, but Sasuke hadn’t and now, that fox would return to the forest. Even this hawk—this beautiful woman—had been doubted and yet… here she was.

“Then you should know what this is,” she said to him in a voice that sounded like a hawk’s great scream.

She closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his.

For a moment, Sasuke almost pulled away, but her hands slid along his back and pulled him closer with a strength that her small frame shouldn’t have possessed. Her hair whispered around them both and he found his arms wrapping around her body gently. How long had it been since he had been with someone, anyone? He was always so wrapped up in his work and this woman… Was she really the hawk he had healed? 

She made a soft sound and her lips parted beneath his like clouds being chased away by the sun. His tongue snaked out, sliding into her mouth, tasting her. She murmured again, her leg twisting around his and drawing him close. Her breasts were soft, pressed against his chest, and then she was tugging off his robe so that he was wearing only his pajama bottoms. The robe fell onto the wet grass silently and she ran her hands against the naked planes of his chest. 

“You may have me, if you wish it,” she murmured.

Gently, Sasuke cupped her breasts, feeling the heat of her against his palms, and she arched into his touch. She pressed her thigh against his clothes erection, rubbing herself against him lightly, and Sasuke groaned at the feeling. Taking this to be something he liked, she slid to her knees at his feet and tugged his pajamas down. Gingerly, she pressed her cheek against his thigh, breathing warm and moist against his quivering flesh. 

She wrapped one small hand around his member and took it lightly into her mouth, licking from the tip all the way to the base. Sasuke groaned, tangling his fingers in her long soft hair and pulling her closer. She made a sound deep in her chest and the vibrations of her voice went into Sasuke’s very core. He nearly came just then, but managed to force the impulse back through sheer will. Gently, he guided her away. As if sensing that he was ready to take her, she simply turned to bare her body to him. 

Sasuke stared for a moment, taking in the beautiful sight of her moon-kissed skin as she rested before him on her hands and knees, his for the taking. He knelt behind her, feeling the cool grass on his knees, and gripped her hips lightly. She rocked back slightly, moaning softly, as the very tip of him brushed her opening. She was wet and warm, drawing him inside. Sasuke groaned as he filled her, her wet walls clenching around him.

She tipped her head back, green eyes shining with pleasure, as he began to move within her. Sasuke wrapped his arms around her narrow body, feeling the tickle of her soft hair against his chest. Her strong shoulder blades pressed against him and he felt her muscles twist powerfully. He thrust into her deeply, feeling every inch of her body respond to his touch. He caressed her full breasts, her thin belly, her swollen pearl.

She let out a soft shrieking cry that was eerily like a hawk’s. A tremble ran through Sasuke’s body, starting at the place where they were connected at the core, and then he spilled inside her. Her entire body shuddered beneath his, muscles squeezing tight down on him. He collapsed beside her on the damp grass, breathing hard. Pleasure wracked his entire body, running through his blood, settling heavy in his shoulders.

The beautiful woman lay against him for a moment, her body warm and soft and strong. Sasuke ran his hands down her body, feeling her soft skin and her warmth. Her hair fell over his shoulders and chest, tickling lightly in the soft night breeze. Gently, she turned in his arms and stared into his eyes for a long moment. Sasuke couldn’t look away, holding her gaze tenderly. Slowly, she leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to his lips.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

Sasuke wasn’t able to respond before she gently released herself from his embrace and rose to her feet. The marks on her shoulder blades stood out for a moment. Then, in a moment so fast that Sasuke wasn’t even certain what happened, she was gone.

The shadow of a hawk flashed across the moon, the great cry echoing through the still night. 

Sasuke lay in the grass for a while after that, naked, feeling the cool air on his skin. The sky was stretched endlessly above him, speckled with stars and the bright disk of the moon. The world had never seemed so beautiful, so vast and perfect. He closed his eyes, thinking about the hawk and the beautiful woman. Could they really be the same…?

In the morning, Sasuke took care of all the animals and pried the stupid fox out from beneath his bed. Only then did he allow himself to go to the greenhouse-turned-aviary and look into the enclosure that had once held the red-tailed hawk with the broken wing. The door stood open and the cage was empty.

X X X

A side note about the movie, **LadyHawke** … It’s a very old movie and one of my favorites. It’s actually a very tragic love story about a couple who is cursed. The man is a wolf at night while the woman is human and during the day the woman becomes a hawk while the man is human. (Michelle Pfeiffer is completely gorgeous in it.) If you have time, you should check it out. 

Questions, comments, concerns?

Review!


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